Telangana: Congress Insists for TRS Merger

Congress might be expecting the merger of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) once the party-headed UPA government annouced the Telangana state. But TRS cadre are not willing to lose the identity of TRS, which has been fighting for the Telangana state formation for 13 years.

Congress might be expecting the merger of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) once the party-headed UPA government annouced the Telangana state. But TRS cadre are not willing to lose the identity of TRS, which has been fighting for the Telangana state formation for 13 years.

TRS leaders expressed this view on 26 February 2014, while their leader K Chandrasekhar Rao or KCR was holding parleys with Congress leaders in Delhi to achieve the 29th state in the Indian union.

However, KCR's son KT Rama Rao said: "We are not obliged to either merger or even have a pre-poll alliance with the Congress." However, he had said earlier that a decision would be taken only after Telangana is formally carved out, NDTV reported. Not just Rama Rao but several other TRS leaders expressed that they are not willing to merge the party into Congress, even after Telangana state formation.

KCR had earlier promised to mege the party in Congress once new Telangana is formed. While Congress is insisting on the TRS to keep its promise, the TRS leaders are not obliging it. Congress party's Digvijaya Singh has indicated that talks for a merger of the TRS with the Congress are in the final stages. But KCR ruled out this and said that he has not even discussed the shape of the proposed deal with the Congress.

In such a situation, Congress, which is expecting a pre-poll alliance with TRS in the Telangana region in the run-up to the 2014 general election, will have to face a tiff with the party. Three weeks ago, KCR, while leaving for Delhi to attend the 15th Lok Sabha, had told his partymen that he would return to Hyderabad with the new state Telangana, which is now just away by a signature from the President.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening, hundreds of jubilant supporters crowded the streets of Hyderabad as KCR landed in Hyderabad, after long sessions of parleys with Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi. He was scheduled to lead a victory procession to the Telangana Martyr's Memorial aka Gun Park, crossing the Chief Minister's office that he hopes to occupy in a few days. It is expected to be a massive show of strength.